Face shield

ABSTRACT

A face shield for shielding a user&#39;s face and neck from a light or radiation source, the face shield comprising a base member upon which a person lying in a supine position can place their head, a shade member arranged for positioning between the light source and the user&#39;s face and at least one elongate substantially upright member extending between the base member and the shade member.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to protective devices for bodies and inparticular to shields to protect a person's face and surrounding areasfrom the sun or other light source.

BACKGROUND ART

Shields for protecting a person's face from the sun are generally wellknown and there are many different types of shields available.

The general concept of a compact shade that blocks the face of someonesunbathing or lying in the sun, while allowing the circulation of air toflow naturally on and around that persons face and head while laying outtanning the rest of their body is known. The shade portion of the shieldis usually made from protective material to assist with keeping the skinhealthy and protected from the sun's rays and its many harmful effectsthat occur when the face is over exposed to the sun.

The devices are used to protect a sunbather's face from the suns harmfulrays, providing maximum protection for the face from the sun whileallowing the rest of the body to remain exposed. More people arebecoming conscious of the damage that the sun can do to one's face andare taking various precautions to protect themselves from the fataland/or irreversible damages such as; premature aging, sun spots,permanent scars from blemishes, skin cancer, heat stroke, and 2nd degreeburns. The general concept allows sunbathers who enjoy lying in the sun,maximum protection from the sun for their face, while getting thecirculation of air about the face and head that creates comfort whilesunbathing.

The simplest precautions taken by sunbathers protecting their face fromthe sun while lying outside include placing a piece of clothing, a hat,cloth or some sort of fabric/material directly on one's face, which cancause a level of discomfort by not allowing the natural circulation ofair. Therefore, the sunbather becomes hot, uncomfortable and may beginto sweat. Another common form of protection from the sun is sunscreen.Sunscreens are not 100% effective and are often heavy and may causediscomfort and/or skin irritations when applied to the face.

More advanced shields which allow air to circulate around a user's facewere developed as a substitute. One such shield is a cloth coveredframework having three panel sections hingedly attached to each other.The three panels include a horizontally positioned base panel on whichthe head is rested, a vertical header panel which supports a shade panelhingedly arranged for positioned in parallel alignment with the basepanel as a sun shade. There are pockets on the outer surfaces of thepanels and the framework can be folded up into a carrying package. Theshade panel has side flaps for additional shading and as a retainer forthe folded framework. Handles for carrying and fasteners for the sideflaps as a retainer are provided.

Another configuration used is provided by a pair of rigid uprightsupport members and a cross member connected to their upper ends fromwhich a panel of flexible material is suspended by one edge. When thelower ends of the support members are pushed into the ground along aline perpendicular to the direction from which the wind blows, the panelis blown by the wind to a substantially horizontal position to provide ashaded area of a size to protect the face of a sun bather lying prone onthe ground.

A third type of shade is provided by a face shield formed of a rigidtransparent material, containing pigmenting or surface films to blockthe transmission of damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun. Incross-section, this material is formed into an arc. From each end of thearc, simple support legs are provided such that the face shield willrest on the earth surface with room for motion of the user's headbeneath the shield. Air circulation is enhanced by such support and byventilation holes in the face shield near the support legs. The supportlegs are foldable toward the concave centre of the face shield, and areuseful as carrying handles for the face shield in an inverted positionwhich can be used as a device to carry items.

A further relatively simple apparatus is a foldable face shade for asunbather comprising a first U-shaped frame component, a second U-shapedframe component, a hinge movably connecting the tips of said firstU-shaped frame component to the tips of said second U-shaped framecomponent, whereby said two U-shaped frame components form a framefoldable in half, and UV deflecting material attached to said frame.

The most common problem with the devices listed above is that the userdoes not have a high comfort level or level of support for their headswhen using the shields. Incorrect support can lead to neck pain when thedevices are used for extended periods of time.

They also tend to leave a person's head on the ground. It is well knownthat people who lie on the beach for instance and simply use a towelleaves the user's head on the towel at ground level and it is verycommon to get sand on the towel. When a person lies down on the towel,the sand on the towel is transferred to the person's head.

The present invention is directed to providing a shade device that notonly protects a user's face from the sun and any ultraviolet rays whilestill allowing a user to have air circulate over their face, but alsoproviding a comfortable head rest keeping a user's head off the groundand in alignment with the supine body.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication isreferred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission thatthe publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art inAustralia or in any other country.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a face shield, which may at leastpartially overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide theconsumer with a useful or commercial choice.

In one form, the invention resides in a face shield for shielding auser's face and neck from a light or radiation source, the face shieldcomprising a base member upon which a person lying in a supine positioncan place their head, a shade member arranged for positioning betweenthe light source and the user's face and at least one elongatesubstantially upright member extending between the base member and theshade member.

The face shield is particularly adapted to block the sun from the faceof the user while sunbathing or lying in the sun, while allowing thecirculation of air to flow naturally on and around that persons face andhead and allowing tanning to occur over the rest of their body.

The face shield comprises a base member upon which a person may placetheir head.

The base member may preferably be substantially similar to the shademember. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the base member may beinflatable and be disk-shaped or substantially circular. In thisembodiment, the base member may suitably have a thicker outer annularportion and a thinner central portion. The thinner central portion maypreferably be formed from a material which is substantially impermeableto ultraviolet light or rays. It is particularly preferred that the basemember and the shade member are substantially similar as this will allowthe user to locate their head on either member and still have a shademember located above their face. The central portion may preferably berecessed into the base member so as to allow a person's head to becomfortably located thereon.

The base member is preferably attached to the bottom of the upstandingmember. Alternatively the base member may not be attached to the bottomof the outstanding member but may be attached part of the way down theupstanding member allowing the insertion of the remainder of theupstanding member into the ground until the base member is locatedadjacent the ground. This may prevent the face shield from moving whensuch is not required.

The base member is suitably similar in size to the shade member.

The shade member may preferably be a substantially planar member. As theshade member may be suitably located at an upper portion of theupstanding member, the shade member may preferably be quite light inweight. The shade member may suitably comprise one or more frame memberswith a material which is at least partially but preferably substantiallyimpermeable to ultraviolet light or rays attached to or otherwiseassociated with the one or more frame members. In a particularlypreferred form, there may be a single substantially circular framemember with the material attached to the frame member in order toprovide shade.

The shade member is preferably large enough to provide shade to a user'shead and/or part of their upper torso as well.

The shade member may preferably be movable with respect to theupstanding member between a first use positioned in which the shademember is configured to provide shade to a person's face and a secondtravel position wherein in the shade member or the face shield as awhole is configured to be more compact and therefore easilytransportable.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the shade member may be an atleast partially inflatable member. In this embodiment, it is preferredthat the shade member is disk-shaped or substantially circular. Theinflatable shade member may suitably have a thicker outer annularportion and a thinner central portion. The central portion may be formedfrom a material which is substantially impermeable to ultraviolet lightor rays but still allow person to see through the portion. This materialmay preferably be an ultra violet impermeable fabric for example. Thecentral portion may preferably be recessed into the shade member so asto allow a person's head to be comfortably located thereon when theshade member is used as the base member.

The upstanding member may preferably be of any shape provided that themember is shaped so as not to prevent the airflow about the user's head.

The upstanding member may preferably be attached to a peripheral portionof the shade member. The outstanding member may suitably be pivotablyattached to the peripheral portion of the shade member.

The upstanding member may be of any height suitable to allow a user tolocate their head beneath the shade member. Most preferably, theupstanding member may be approximately between 20 and 50 cm in length.

The upstanding member may preferably be provided with a pointed orotherwise shaped lower portion in order to allow the upstanding memberto be inserted into the ground. The lower portion may suitably be awedge shaped portion.

The upstanding member may suitably be provided with a flattened orenlarged upper portion to allow a force to be exerted easily on theupstanding member in order to locate the upstanding member in theground. The flattened or enlarged upper portion may be adapted to bestruck with a hammer or pushed by a user's hand, for example.

The upstanding member may typically be wide enough to offer shade to auser's face from the sun when the sun is that a small angle ofinclination to the horizon. In this situation, the upstanding member maybe positioned between the sun and the user's face.

The upstanding member in the most preferred embodiment may besubstantially vertical, but it should be clear that this is a preferredconfiguration only. The upstanding member may not be vertically orientedbut instead be diagonal or even helical in nature.

In a most preferred aspect, the upstanding member may be inflatable. Theupstanding member may suitably be resilient and may also be deformable.Ideally, the inflatable upstanding member may be manufactured from astrong but pliable plastic material, capable of maintaining its shapewhen inflated, but malleable when deflated.

Each of the members and preferably all of the members comprising theface shield may preferably be formed in discrete portions and may beseparately inflatable and deflatable. Each member may further comprise avalve to inflate or deflate the member. Of course, one valve may allowinflation and deflation of the entire face shield simultaneously. Eachvalve may be adapted for use by means to inflate the member such as, auser's mouth or other means for example a pump. The valves on each ofthe members may be of a substantially similar type so that more than onemeans to inflate or deflate the member is not required.

The members may be detachably secured to one another in their assembledform. The members may be detached from one another in order tofacilitate more convenient storage or transport of the face shield.There may be means for attachment located on each member to facilitateattachment to the other members.

The face shield may preferably further comprise a peg member associatedwith the face shield base portion adapted to be inserted into the groundto prevent the face shield from moving or blowing away.

The upstanding member may be rotatably connected to the base memberand/or the shade member. The rotatable connection provided between anyof the members may be adapted to be releasably secured in a particularposition or orientation so as not to move when movement is not desired.For example, a means for releasably securing the rotatable connection ina particular position may be a pin member extending through theconnection. Preferably the upstanding member may be rotatable about thehorizontal only, in order to allow the user to maintain the face shieldbetween the face and the sun as the sun moves across the sky during theday.

In order to further increase the adaptability of the face shield, theupstanding member may be provided with rotatable connections to both thebase member and the shade member. The rotatable connections may becapable of rotating the attached members in a 360 degree arc withrespect to the upstanding member.

In a broad form, the invention resides in a face shield for shielding auser's face and neck from a light or radiation source, the face shieldcomprising at least one elongate, substantially upright member, and ashade member arranged for positioning between the light source and theuser's face. Any of the features described herein can be combined in anycombination with any one or more of the other features described hereinwithin the scope of the invention.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and shouldnot be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that theprior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may bediscerned from the following Detailed Description which providessufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform theinvention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limitingthe scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. TheDetailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings asfollows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the face shield according to an aspectof the invention shown in use.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the face shield according to a secondaspect of the invention in the travel configuration.

FIG. 3 shows the face shield of FIG. 2 in the use position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the face shield according to a thirdaspect of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

According to an aspect of the invention, a face shield 10 is provided.

The face shield 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a first particular embodiment ofthe invention. The face shield of the first embodiment comprises a basemember 11, an upstanding member 12 and a shade member 13. The faceshield 10 is shown with a user 14 in position with their head placed onthe base member 11 and shielded from sun by the shade member 13.

Both the base member 11 and the shade member 13 are substantiallysimilar in this embodiment as the user 14 can then use the face shieldin either orientation without sacrificing protection or comfort. Thestructure of both the base member 11 and the shade member 13 aredescribed with reference to the shade member 13.

The shade member 13 is substantially circular in shape when viewed fromabove. The shade member 13 has an enlarged outer annular shaped portion15 and a thinner central portion 16. The enlarged outer annular shapedportion 15 is inflatable. The thinner central portion 16 may beinflatable but need not be. Indeed, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,the thinner central portion is shown as an at least partiallytransparent or see-through section which is attached to the outerannular shaped portion 15.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the three members, the basemember 11, the upstanding member 12 and the shade member 13 are allattached to each other in a permanent fashion. While each member mayhave a separate valve for inflation and deflation of the member, theembodiment shown in FIG. 1 has only one valve 17 located on theupstanding member 12. This valve is used to inflate or deflate all threemembers simultaneously.

The face shield shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured from a lightweight, butstrong and pliable material such as plastic.

According to the second embodiment of the invention shown, in FIGS. 2and 3, the face shield 10 has an elongate upstanding member 12 having asharpened or pointed lower end 18 adapted for insertion into the ground.The upstanding member 12 also has a flattened upper end 19 adapted forthe application of a force thereto, in order to force or drive the lowerend 18 of the upstanding member 12 into the ground.

The shade member as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown as a substantiallycircular frame member 20 with ultraviolet impermeable fabric 21associated with the frame member 20. The shade member is rotatablymounted adjacent the upper end of the upstanding member 12. The shademember can be moved from the travel position or stored position shown inFIG. 2 into the shade position or use position shown in FIG. 3.According to this embodiment of the upstanding member 12 may bemanufactured from a lightweight but strong and rigid plastic material,and the frame member 20 is manufactured from a lightweight but strongand rigid metal such as wire.

According to the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, thebase member 11 and the shade member 13 are again substantially similar.According to this embodiment, both the base member 11 and the shademember comprise a substantially circular frame member 20 withultraviolet impermeable fabric 21 associated with the frame member 20.The upstanding member in this embodiment comprises a rigid lightweightmember 22 extending diagonally or helically between the base member 11and the shade member 13 and maintaining the spacing between them. Thelightweight diagonal member 22 also provides additional support for anupstanding member comprising two substantially vertical frame members 23with a portion of ultraviolet impermeable fabric 21 secured to andextending between the frame members 23.

The particular embodiment shown in FIG. 4 also comprises a peg member 24secured to the frame member 20 of the base member 11 by a length of wireor string 25 or the like. The peg member 24 is adapted to be insertedinto the ground to prevent the face shield 10 from moving or blowingaway when the user leaves it for example, for an activity.

1. A face shield for shielding a user's face and neck from a light orradiation source, the face shield comprising a base member upon which aperson lying in a supine position can place their head, a shade memberarranged for positioning between the light source and the user's faceand at least one elongate substantially upright member extending betweenthe base member and the shade member.
 2. The face shield as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the base member is inflatable.
 3. The face shield asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the base member is disk-shaped.
 4. The faceshield as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base member has a thicker outerannular portion and a thinner central portion.
 5. The face shield asclaimed in claim 4 wherein the central portion is recessed into the basemember so as to allow a person's head to be comfortably located thereon.6. The face shield as claimed in claim 4 wherein the thinner centralportion is formed from a material which is substantially impermeable toultraviolet light or rays.
 7. The face shield as claimed in claim 1wherein the base member is attached to the bottom of the upstandingmember.
 8. The face shield as claimed in claim 2 wherein the base memberis substantially similar to the shade member.
 9. The face shield asclaimed in claims 1 wherein the base member is attached part of the waydown the upstanding member allowing insertion of a lower portion of theupstanding member into the ground until the base member is locatedadjacent the ground.
 10. The face shield as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe shade member comprises one or more frame members with a materialwhich is at least partially impermeable to ultraviolet light or raysassociated with the one or more frame members.
 11. The face shield asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the shade member is inflatable.
 12. The faceshield as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shade member is disk-shaped.13. The face shield as claimed in claim 11 wherein the shade member hasa thicker outer annular portion and a thinner central portion.
 14. Theface shield as claimed in claim 13 wherein the central portion isrecessed into the shade member.
 15. The face shield as claimed in claim13 wherein the thinner central portion is formed from a material whichis substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light or rays.
 16. The faceshield as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shade member is attached to anend of the upstanding member opposite the base member.
 17. The faceshield as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upstanding member is attachedto a peripheral portion of the shade member.
 18. The face shield asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the upstanding member is provided with ashaped lower portion in order to allow the upstanding member to beinserted into the ground.
 19. The face shield as claimed in claim 1wherein any one or more of the base member, shade member and upstandingmember are inflatable and deflatable.
 20. The face shield as claimed inclaim 19 wherein each member includes a valve to inflate or deflate themember.